Clutch shifting mechanism



. 9', 1941. c. F. BALL ETAL CLUTCH SHIFTING MECHANISM Original Filed June 26, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l agg.

[n @enfans lla/Zasfall and Laub Gflfif'emedel;

Dec. 9, 1941'. c. F. BALL ETA. s 2,265,753

CLUTCH SHIFTING MECHANISM Original Filed June 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 9, 1941. c. F. BALL ET Al. 2,265,753

CLUTCH SHIFTING MEcHANIsM original Filed Jung 2e, 1959 s sheets-sheet 5 Patented Dec. 9, 1941 UNITED stares rarest ottici:

CLUTCH SHIFTI-G MECHANISM CharlesY F. Ball, Wauwatosa, and Louis G. Hilkemeier, Milwaukee, Wis., assignors to Chain Belt Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Original application June 26, 1939, Serial No. 281,298. Divided and this application March. 13A, 1940, Serial No. 323,810

al claims. y(ci. 19a-99) As is` more fully set forth in said prior appli-v cation, the boom, swing mechanism constituting the subject matter thereof; comprises a reversing gear unit arranged to be driven from the mixer power plant and coupled. through a Worm and worm gear to the, boom at the vertical pivot of the latter. The reversing gear unit includes a pair of soarsv constantly rotating in opposite dimotions. each of which has a` clutch associatedY with it. by means` of which it. may be coupled at will. to the driving worm. The said oppositeiv rotating gears. may have sprockets or other driving members. associated with. them, constitutingA opowor toko-@ for operating other distributing meohonism ihstrumentalities. suchV for example,y

the bucket; traverse mechanism described and claimed our tao-pending application led June 2.6,- 1939.,Y Serial No 281,299..-

The clutchshifting mechanism of the present invention is arranged to control the above mentionedr clutches which afre associated with the opposit,c elyA running gears, being adapted toafford alternative engagement of the said clutches at the-l volition of the operator whereby the boom may be swung horizontally in one` direction or the other through the worm gear drive. It is one of the objects of the invention to provide clutch shifting mechanism which will be simple in construction andV effective in action, and which will automaticaly'shift the clutches to neutral, i. e., insure that both of them are disengaged, through the mere release of the control handle by the operator.

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts more fully hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters designate like parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is a top sectional plan View of a reversing gear unit for a power boom swing mech. anism, of the type disclosed in our said parent application Serial No. 281,293, with one form. of clutch shifting mechanism constructed in accordance with the presentl invention applied thereto, the parts being shown in the neutral or disengaged position of the clutches;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing in full and broken lines the alternative posi?. tions of the parts when one or the other of the clutches is engaged;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transversesectional View, taken approximately on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking inthe direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectionalv View, taken approximately onthe plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, looking down.

Referring more particularly to the saiddrawings, the reversing gear unit 35-comprises a housing 55 having a lateral extension 5I in which the drive shaft 34 is journaled. by bearings 52 and 53, which shaft carries the sprocket 3 3at its outer end, anda bevel gear 54 at its inner end. A

pair of axially alined bevel gears 55-,and 56 mesh with the said gear 54 at opposite sides thereof,

and have hubs 5l and 58 respectively,y journaledy in bearings 59 and mounted in the end plates 6I and 52 ofthe housing 5 0. The respective gear hubs 51 and 58 have keyed or otherwise rigidly` secured to them the driving members 63 and 6,4,

of a pair of friction clutches, here shown as beingof the cone type, and these clutch members have rigidly secured to them the sprockets 65 and 66 which serve as the driving elements of a power. take-oil for operating the'bucket traverse and boom hoist mechanism of the paver, as fully disclosedin our. said cci-pending application Ser. No. 281,299.

The driven shaft 31. of the unit 35 extends.

axially through the alined hubs 5l and 58 of the gears 55 and 58, and is slidably and rotatably journaled in bearings 61 and 68 carried by the said hubs. Beyond the said hubs shaft 31 has secured to it the driven clutch members 69 and 10 which, through axial movements of the said shaft in one direction or the other from the neutral position illustrated in Fig. 4, are adapted to be brought into alternative engagement with the driving clutch members 63 and 64 respectively, as will be readily understood.

For shifting the shaft 31 axially to engage and disengage the clutches, the said shaft is provided intermediate the gears 55 and 56 with a shifting collar 'H mounted on bearings 'l2 and. having pins 'I3-engaged by the bifurcated ends 14 of the arms 15 of a shifting fork 16, which is keyedv or otherwise rigidly secured to a vertical shaft 'l'l journaled in bearings 18 of the housing 59, see

Fig. 3. The upper end of the shaft 11 extends outside the housing 50 and has rigidly secured to it an actuating arm 89, the outer end of which 85 of an operating lever 88. is journaled upon a stub-shaft' 81,'1ixedly secured in and extending upwardly vfrom the hous-l ing 50 through an aperture 19 in the arm 8D. The upper portion of the stub shaft 81 is squared,

as indicated at 88, see Fig. 3, and slidably but:

' the movable clutch member;

non-rotatably carries a sleeve 89 having a ange 99 abutting the upper face of the hub 85.

shaped depressions 95 for coacting with the saidl lugs 94. When the parts are in the neutral positions illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the lugs 94 are alined with and fit in the depressions 95,

thus maintaining the parts in said neutral positions against unintentional displacement. However, when'the parts are moved to either clutchengaging position, through manual movement of the operating lever 86 from the neutral position illustrated in Fig. 1 to either of the positions shown in Fig. 2, the arcuate movement of the lever hub 85 will move its depressions 95 out of line with the lugs 94, which are held against rotation by the squared portion 88 of the stub shaft, and ydue to'the camming action of Y the complementary surfaces of the lugs andY depressions, the sleeve 89 will be forced upwardly.

against the pressure of the springr 9|. The parts are so constructed and arranged that the lugs never completely leave theY depressions, so that upon release of the lever 86 by the operator, the spring 9|, through the camming action of the lug surfaces upon the complementary Asurfaces of the hub depressions, will automatically return the hub 85, lever 86 and the clutch elements 69 and 19 to the neutral position, thereby in-` suring against swinging movements of the boom except when under the actual manual control of the operator.

While one form of the invention has been illustrated and described it is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the precise larrangement of A compression spring 9| is interposed between thel parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1.' Shifting mechanism for a power transmitting clutch contained within a housing, said clutch having driving and driven members one of which is movable into and out of power transmitting engagement with the other, said shifting 'mechanism comprising a shifting fork pivotally mounted within the housing and connected to an apertured actuating arm disposed exteriorly of the housing and rigidly connected to said fork, said arm being provided with a, pair of spaced lugs; a stub Ashaft extending exteriorly from the housing and projecting through the aperture in said arm; an operating lever mounted on said stub shaft; and a pin carried by said lever, extending between said lugs and affording a sliding operating connection between said lever and arm. f

2. Clutch shifting and neutralizing mechanism for a pair of alternatively engageable clutches mounted on an axially movable shaft, comprising a shifting collar carried by said shaft; a pivotally mounted shifting fork engaging said collar; an actuating arm connected to said fork to oscillate the latter; a xed stub shaft; an operating lever journaled on said stubV shaft, said lever being provided with a cam surface; anoperating connection between said lever and arm; and a spring pressed sleeve non-rotatably mounted on said stub shaft, having a cam surface disposed to coact with said lever-carried cam surface to automatically return said lever, arm, fork and clutches to a neutral position upon release of said lever.

3. Clutch shifting and neutralizing mechanism for a power transmitting clutch provided with driving and driven members one of which is movable into and out of engagement with the other,Y

said mechanism comprising a shifting fork connected to said movable clutch member;Vv an actuating arm connected to said fork; a fixed `stub shaft; an operating lever mounted on'saidV maintain said engagement ofthe cam surfaces,`

whereby to automatically return said lever', arm, fork and clutch member to neutral position upon release of said lever.Y CHARLES F; BALL. l

LOUIS G. HILKEMEIER. 

